DJOK HAILS KID AFTER 4HR FIGHT

FROM NEIL MCLEMAN in Melbourne NOVAK DJOKOVIC hailed Dino Prizmic a future superstar after the Serb needed four hours and seven match points to beat the teenage qualifier.

The world No.1 made his Grand Slam debut here in 2005, seven months before the 18-year-old Croat was born.

But French Open junior champion Prizmic threatened to cause a shock in his first main-draw match at a Major when he won the second-set tiebreak and then went a break up in the third.

Djokovic, 36, finally triumphed 6-2 6-7 6-3 6-4 to extend his winning streak at Melbourne Park to 29 matches in front of his former coach Andre Agassi.

But the Serb, who has not lost here since 2018, admitted Prizmic stole the show. “This is his moment and it could easily have been his match as well,” Djokovic said. “He’s an amazing player, so mature for his age. He made me really run for my money. I’m double his age. Reality hits hard tonight. He had an answer for everything. I certainly want to be in his corner so hopefully he will invite me because we’re going to be seeing a lot of him in the future.”

Matteo Berrettini pulled out of the tournament without playing a match as his injury woes go on. The former

Wimbledon finalist had been due to face Stefanos

Tsitsipas in one of the plum ties of the first round. But yesterday afternoon the tournament announced he had withdrawn with a right-foot injury, making it the fourth time in the last eight Grand Slam tournaments that the Italian has not been able to play a match.

Berrettini, a semi-finalist in Melbourne in 2022, has been sidelined since suffering an ankle injury at the US Open. He had previously missed the French Open because of an abdominal injury, while in 2022 he also sat out Roland Garros following hand surgery and then tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of Wimbledon. He has been replaced in the draw by Zizou Bergs.

The defending woman’s champ had very few problems against a teenage qualifier – as Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus needed only 53 minutes to beat outclassed German Ella Seidel

6-0 6-1.